The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-05-21
|, peculiarly serious Is the fact tina, 1t also

II peculiarly serious Is the fact that 1t also
brings In Its train stoppage OF work not
only OF all the hod carriers, but Of the
plasterers and carpenters, and materially
in,erferes with the work sf the brick max
ers, lumber men and dealers In all the vari'
Gus materials and appliances that are con
nected with the vast building operations OF
80 large and progressive city, So not
only does the strike OF the brick layers In
yolye a loss of $4,000 to $4,000 week
In wages 20 themselves, but double that
amount more 10 the hod carriers, carpenters
and plasterers, 10 say nothing OF the hun.
dreds of thousands more 20 the lumber
business and general trade of the city,
The loss seems the moreIinexcusahle, In
deed monstrous, In connection with the
fact that the strike Is not for higher wages
or for any other cause than that the men
demand that they shall be paid on Satur'
day instead of Tuesday of each week,
But whether 10 inaugurate so expensive
and destructive strike for a cause 50 ap
parently trivial is foolish, reprehensible,
criminal or not, Is not the point we propose
Al present 10 discuss The strike has led
10 numerous meetings of the boss builders,
brick layers, carpenters lumber dealers,
etc, on the one side, and OF the heads OF
the various trade organizations on the
other, and a general overhaulin5 and re
bearsal of grievances on both sides, and
among these, on the part Of the employers,
prominence Is given TO the fact, not denied
on the other side, that under the trades
union system entire control has been taken
out of the hands of the bosses and employ
ers Of the apprentice system, and the laws
of the state on the subject are entirely set
aside and their place taken by the rules
and regulations of the various trade organ.
izations. Thus among the brick layers but
one apprentice, or boy, is allowed to five
re gular hands, among the carpenters and
plasterers one 10 six-we don't know what
the rule Is among the hod carriers, steve
dores, wharf rats, etc.,-but more or less In
all trades the employment of apprentices
is not only rigidly limited, but the work
that the apprentices are allowed TO do is
closely defined, and instead of being di-
rected by the employers, is under the rigid
control of the foreman or other overseers
selected by the workmen themselves.
This tyranny In regard to apprentices
prevails not only in Chicago, but wherever
trades unions have control Not long ago
there was a strike among the silversmiths
In New York because the employers
claimed the right to place certain appren
tices in their shops, and in Baltimore We
had occasion to mention recently that the
glass blowers struck because the employ
ers undertook TO place in their establish.
ments--not more apprentices than the
trades union rules allowed, but-American
bows, whereas the glass blowers, who were
Poloks and Bohemians, insisted that no
apprentices should be admitted but their
own sons, cousins or other relatives. We
believe this rule obtains generally among
, the glass blowers, so that even In Ottawa 1t
is at least difficult for American boys to
get into the glass works as apprentices.
While we have not one word to utter
against trades unions In general and be-
lieve that, crudely as they often have been
managed, they have been productive of
vast good and are as yet little more than in
the infancy of their usefulness, we think
the time has come when the law should
take cognizance OF them in behalf OF
common rights and liberties to which
their tendency is to run counter, and none
more SO than this threatened curtailment
and final ruin of one of the most precious
Of American rights-the right of all her
youth that desire to do so, to learn any
trade themselves, or their parents or guar
dams may choose for them.
II 70 be wholly or in large measure ex-
cluded from the trades, what is to become
of the American youth Shall they all
become cash boys, counter -hoppers, street
walkers, agents, pickpockets, confidence
men or lawyers, quack doctors, professional
politicians, or roulette players faro dealers
er board of trade or bucket shop gamblers
The various trades unions or knights or.
CARNATIONS cannot afford to array them
selves In a matter of such Importance in
opposition to the common sense and the
universal popular ideas of right and wrong.
This systematic attempt to limit the APP
prentice system within such narrow bounds
as to threaten Its entire destruction can not
fail to excite such opposition and counter
organization as must ultimately lead te Sc
rious If not dangerous contests. The intel
ligent managers of the various labor organ
iZations should be able to discern such
Injurious features of the system and take
steps to eradicate them.
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TUIl SOIUTION1